Retirement Plans

Employer-sponsored retirement Plans offer great benefits to employees and owners.  The right plan can be an effective means for employees to save for retirement and build loyalty to a company.  The right plan can help owners retain workers and can yield tax benefits.  There are many decisions to be made when it comes to selecting the right plan and selecting a provider to establish and maintain a plan.

Fee-Only Service Model

Many companies offer advice to business owners for developing a retirement plan for their employees.  However, in a crowded field of providers, very few can say that they provide this service without a potential conflict of interest.  An inherent conflict of interest exists when an advisor receives a commission for recommending a specific investment or particular retirement plan. Under this type of arrangement, any advice tied to a commission cannot be considered entirely objective or impartial.

As a Fee-Only firm, Mersereau, Lazenby & Rockas places the client’s interests first.  We do not accept commissions on any of our services or recommendations.  This transparency allows us to focus entirely on the client’s needs and not on any desire for what will bring a larger commission.

Choosing the Right Plan

With many types of retirement plans on the market, it can be challenging for business owners to determine which plan may be best for their business.  There are many questions to consider when choosing a plan: Which plans offer the greatest benefits to the employees? What plans offer the greatest tax benefits to the owner? What plans are easiest to administer? Which plans are the most cost-effective to the owner? And, most importantly, which plans will pass testing by the Department of Labor?

The following plans are popular among businesses and sole proprietors:

·   401(k)

·   Solo 401(k)

·   SIMPLE-IRA

·   SEP-IRA

·   403(b) – for non-profit organizations

Mersereau, Lazenby & Rockas will work closely with the business owner to carefully evaluate the benefits of each plan in order to indentify the plan that will offer the greatest benefits for their company.

Establishing and Maintaining a Plan

After choosing a retirement plan, the employer is obligated to provide employees with the tools necessary to understand this plan.  Most plans require the employer to create a Plan Document, Summary Plan Description, Enrollment Forms, and investment literature when establishing the plan.  After the plan has been established, the employer must send periodic statements, plan updates, salary reduction agreements and investment selection forms to all employees. 

Mersereau, Lazenby & Rockas works alongside the owner and the plan custodian to ensure that all the steps are followed to establish and maintain the chosen retirement plan.